


A Beautiful Moon

by SaintLily



Series: Moving Forward [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27817891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaintLily/pseuds/SaintLily
Summary: You might not guess it from her appearance, but Cinder was an ardent cuddler.
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Ruby Rose
Series: Moving Forward [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035549
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	A Beautiful Moon

**Author's Note:**

> For those keeping score at home, rather than being slightly drunk while writing this I instead drank a massively unhealthy amount of coffee beforehand because I have no control over my life.

Ruby was no stranger to public displays of affection. Whether it was with her sister, her other teammates, Penny, or plenty of other people besides, she was highly experienced when it came to comforting the friends and family around her with a good old fashioned round of hugging. With Cinder though, it was different. More special. More intimate.

You might not guess it from her appearance, but Cinder was an ardent cuddler. She clung to Ruby practically whenever possible, as if trying to make up for years spent without receiving any kind of affection. Or perhaps as if afraid that Ruby might disappear the second she lets go. Honestly, thinking about the implications of that behaviour tended to hurt Ruby’s heart.

Still, Ruby couldn’t help but adore every second that the pair spent holding one another. Every morning spent waking up curled against Cinder’s body, the older woman lazily stroking her hair, felt like a little gift from the world, and every day spent hiking through the myriad forests of Vale with their hands gently clasped seemed like a cosmic reward for everything that she’d sacrificed to get to this point. It’d only been a handful of months now since the pair had first become… intimate with one another, and even if they hadn’t quite managed to put a name to their current relationship status in that time, it was already easy to see that Ruby had fallen hard for her golden eyed companion.

Ruby’s thoughts continued to idly drift around the subject of her relationship for some time, until eventually she snapped back to reality. She’d told Cinder that she was going to double check the state of their supplies before she turned in for the night. Instead she’d spent the last 20 minutes crouched by their packs, staring blankly at the half-full bag of coffee beans they’d been rationing out over the last few months, all the while musing on the subject of her feelings. With a half hearted sigh, she packed the coffee away and stood back up. She could figure out exactly how much food they had left tomorrow, when she was feeling a little more focused.

Cinder was over on the other side of the pair’s small campsite, laying back on the bedroll they’d set out earlier, her single eye wide open and fixed up on the night sky. Ruby smiled softly at the sight; it seemed she wasn’t the only one lost in thought tonight. Cinder didn’t appear to notice as Ruby drew closer, only to start in surprise when the younger woman settled down next to her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Do you like stargazing, Cinder?”

Cinder didn’t respond at first, instead choosing to shuffle closer to Ruby. “I’ve never really had time for it, to be honest,” She replied eventually. “But the sky is so clear out here, away from civilisation. It’s hard not to be impressed.” 

Ruby moved closer in turn, rolling to press her body against Cinder’s, her head finding its way to rest in the crook of Cinder’s neck while her eyes drifted shut. She could feel the older woman’s arm wrap tightly around her back, holding her as close as possible. “The view in the kingdoms really doesn’t compare, huh?”

“No… No it doesn’t.” Cinder replied softly. The pair lapsed into a contemplative silence, Cinder content to gaze heavensward while Ruby directed her attention fully to the woman in front of her. 

Eventually the allure of sleep began to overtake Ruby. She nuzzled further into Cinder, humming contentedly as the older woman began to slowly trace idle patterns against her back. The feeling of Cinder right up against her, the scent of Cinder filling her nose, the gentle touch of Cinder on her back, it was all a perfect recipe to lull Ruby into a deep sleep.

“What about you?”

Cinder spoke so softly that Ruby wouldn’t have been able to hear her at all if they weren’t pressed so tightly together. She pulled back slightly, eyes fluttering open to meet Cinder’s gaze that had moved down from the stars to focus solely on her. That singular golden eye practically seemed to glow in the darkness.

“Do you like stargazing, Ruby?”

Cinder spoke the simple question with such dramatic reverence that Ruby couldn’t help but let out a quiet giggle. “When I was young I really loved it. I used to be able to name all the different constellations we could see back at home, but once I got a bit older I guess I started to focus on other things.” Their eyes remained locked together, gold and silver staring deeply into one another. Ruby reached out a hand to caress Cinder’s cheek, fingers gently running across the scarred skin that surrounded the older woman’s eyepatch. “Especially now that I’ve found something I enjoy gazing at a whole lot more.” She finished huskily.

Cinder’s face suddenly found itself home to a bright blush, the older woman wrenching her gaze away from Ruby in an effort to hide her embarrassment. “You can be such a brat sometimes.” Cinder squeaked out as Ruby entered into a bout of intense laughter. “I never agreed to getting teased like this.”

Ruby struggled to get her laughter under control before replying. “Aww, cmon Cinder.” Ruby gently guided the older woman’s gaze back onto her. “It’s not teasing, you’re prettier than any star out there could ever be.” Cinder’s expression morphed into an adorable smile, and when Ruby leaned in closer she matched her, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss.

Cinder’s taste was something Ruby didn’t think she’d ever get over. She had an almost coffee-like bitterness to her, but it was tempered with an edge of undeniable and oh so alluring sweetness that always left Ruby wanting more. This was all without mentioning the constant soft warmth that seemed to constantly emanate from within Cinder adding to the whole experience. Ruby was often left wondering if that was some kind of side effect of her semblance.

When the pair broke apart, Ruby was surprised to find a contemplative, almost sad, expression on the other woman’s face. “Cinder…” Ruby once again began softly caressing Cinder’s cheek. “Is something wrong?”

“Sorry, sorry. I… I was just thinking that not so long ago I was sure that I’d never be able to feel like this with anyone.” Slowly, a smile broke out on Cinder’s face. “And thinking about how lucky I am that I was wrong.”

“In that case,” Ruby matched the older woman’s smile before pulling her into another chaste kiss. “I’ll make sure to never stop reminding you of just how wrong you were.”

“Ruby…” Cinder replied softly, rolling to face the huntress more properly. Their lips met again, this time markedly more heated than the last. Ruby allowed the older woman to take the lead, moaning contentedly when Cinder’s tongue snaked its way between her lips.

While Cinder’s tongue explored her mouth, Ruby contented herself with running her hands up and down the older woman’s back, her blunt fingernails digging in and scratching as well as she could manage through the fabric of Cinder’s top. In turn, Ruby felt Cinder’s hand tangle its way into the mess of her hair, occasionally yanking with just enough force to cause her to yelp excitedly into the kiss.

When they finally broke apart, the pair was left panting needily while gazing ardently into one another’s eyes. Cinder’s half-lidded gaze was intoxicating, and it was all Ruby could do to resist pulling her into another kiss. As much as she wanted to, she had a pretty good idea of where that would lead, and this wasn’t really the ideal setting. Plus they had a lot of walking to get done tomorrow and she really didn’t want to deal with the sore legs.

Cinder was the first to break the silence that settled between them, after waiting long enough for her breathing to return to normal. “Ruby, I… Uhm…” She trailed off almost immediately, as if struggling to find the words she knew she wanted to say. Ruby simply held Cinder’s gaze, watching as she opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “The moon looks beautiful tonight.” She finished eventually, golden eye locked ever on Ruby.

Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at that. She released Cinder’s gaze at last, nuzzling down into the crook of the older woman’s neck once again. A contented hum escaped from her throat as she felt Cinder pull her into a tight embrace, as she felt Cinder begin pressing soft kisses against the top of her head, and as she felt their heartbeats slowly drift into synch with each other. “It really, really does.” Was the last thing she managed to murmur out before sleep finally claimed her.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that you enjoyed! Comments are always appreciated no matter how small!


End file.
